Government is to carry out a more thorough review of postal voting in a bid to extend the voting franchise in Bermuda.

Premier Jennifer Smith told Parliament yesterday that a committee set up to consider how it might be best extended had found that postal voting was the most widespread form of absentee voting worldwide, while other methods were in the early stages.

In its interim report, the committee suggested that postal voting be looked into further, while other methods being contemplated by other jurisdictions just be monitored for now.

The committee members said the Island could gain from the experiences and lessons learned from these attempts in other countries to broaden the voting franchise.

Ms Smith said: "Members will recall that this Government, as the Opposition, fought long and hard to ensure that one day the voting franchise in Bermuda would be extended as wide as possible to guarantee for all eligible voters the opportunity to vote.

"This report represents another step in achieving that goal. You will note that the committee has considered various options to allow voting privileges to be extended to those persons absent from Bermuda at the time of a General Election, or by-election."

She said the 2000 Census indicated that there were about 750 housebound people in Bermuda, and between 750 and 900 studying overseas. These two figures represented about five percent of the total number of eligible voters.

"In an effort to determine a way forward, the committee reviewed electronic voting, proxy voting, telephone voting, and postal voting," added the Premier. "Of these voting methods, postal voting was the only method found to be utilised across the globe.

"Interestingly, although we have seen great technological advances worldwide, electronic voting does not seem to be viewed as viable for general elections by any community.

"The issues of privacy and security are at the heart of the concerns with this method."

The Premier said Government believed that it was important to ensure that the introduction of any additional or new voting methods be thoroughly examined so that all concerns were addressed.

And she said, therefore, Government had accepted the committee's recommendation that a further, more in-depth, review of postal voting be organised.

"If Bermuda takes time to consider the work of those jurisdictions intending to pilot electronic means of extending the voting franchise at some point in the future, we believe that ultimately we will have a better framework upon which to build our own proposals.

"Therefore, we will take the necessary time to assure that the proper due diligence has been done for the establishment of a postal vote framework."

The committee's interim report was then tabled in the House.